Should the LGBT Community Use Words Like '->-bleeped-<-got' and '->-bleeped-<-'? Yes, Call Me a '

[Shana A]

Randall Jenson
Executive Director, SocialScope Productions; creator, 50->-bleeped-<-gots

Should the LGBT Community Use Words Like '->-bleeped-<-got' and '->-bleeped-<-'? Yes, Call Me a '->-bleeped-<-got'
Posted: 03/ 6/2012 9:14 am

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randall-jenson/call-me-a-->-bleeped-<-got_b_1296886.html

The terms "->-bleeped-<-got," "dyke," and "->-bleeped-<-" are just as important to identifying our queer communities as "gay," "lesbian," and "transgender." It's convenient to just dismiss these words as hate terms. We've been preconditioned to anticipate abusive blows and expect hateful shouts from homophobic people, but we also have a choice in the words that we use to understand ourselves. And mostly, we think, we don't want to hear these words, even from someone we know. But, we are these people.

We are ->-bleeped-<-gots. We are dykes. We are ->-bleeped-<-s. One of the most important things we can do is stop thinking of these as disgraceful and start thinking about how these words can encompass queer identities that orientation labels like "gay," "lesbian," and "transgender" can't cover.

[Padma]

Well, I still reserve the inalienable right to be the one to choose whether I get called that or not. Personally, it feels self-destructive to call myself "->-bleeped-<-", so I'm never going to do that.

If someone else wants to call themselves that, go for it, but don't tell me I should feel okay about doing so myself. I had enough of that with "queer" back in the 90's, where people were insisting I use that term on myself, regardless of the effect it had on me.